Re: Walpurgis Night
by Seta Suzume
Summary: Madoka searches for a way to help Homura battle Walpurgis Night without making a contract. The internet provides an answer.


"Walpurgis Night," Madoka typed the words slowly into the search engine, one syllable at a time, sounding it out in her head to be sure she was spelling it right. Even if she wouldn't make a contract with Kyubey and become a magical girl, there had to be some way she could help Homura. Homura was, without a doubt, a formidable fighter- brave, quick, determined, and versatile- but even Homura had seemed hopeful that there might be another magical girl or two left to back her up in this encounter.

This wasn't an ordinary problem she could ask her mother about directly. The same went for her friends at school and her teachers. But the internet didn't ask who you were or why you were asking. Madoka scrolled intently through the results. Based on what Kyubey had told her, while Mitakihara might boast a particularly high concentration of them lately, there had to be other magical girls through Japan (and the rest of the world too, but non-Japanese results were only as good at the best free translating services available). There had to be someone else out there who had been through Walpurgis Night and survived to tell the tale. ...didn't there? A shiver touched Madoka's body as a shadow of doubt crossed her mind. Well, someone else had to have at least heard of it.

"Ask the Red Lotus

an advice blog"

"What?" It was a strange result, but it looked serious. Madoka's heart began to beat a little faster as she clicked the link and watched the simple but elegantly designed page load. The general style suggested an ordinary blog with a red and white color scheme. There was a hint of femininity about it with every instance of a bullet point using a delicate graphic of a red lotus flower in place of an ordinary dot.

The most recent answer posted was in regard to a question asking for makeup advice. It seemed like the appearance of this website in her search results had to be a mistake. The "Red Lotus" person gave "Kanra-chan" a detailed response that included suggestions and even a few explanatory drawings. Red Lotus drew with a draftsman-like hand that put Madoka to thinking of textbook illustrations. The posted diagrams featured teacher-perfect handwriting. Madoka felt confident that she could say this was an adult writing (and drawing).

The majority of the questions seemed geared toward things like etiquette and fashion advice, but others were stranger, venturing closer to the topic that had put Madoka to searching in the first place. ...And there it was:

"Red Lotus-san, is it possible to defeat Walpurgis Night?

-X-ko

P.S. I love your botanical garden photo gallery."

Madoka held her breath.

"X-ko-chan:

Theoretically, yes, but I don't know about anyone having done it. And any girl who could defeat Walpurgis Night would be bound to turn into an even more powerful witch. The best thing for Walpurgis Night is not to be there when it happens. Good luck, X-ko-chan!

P.S. Thank you very much."

Madoka released the breath very slowly. Red Lotus discussed this magical phenomenon out in the open, just like that. It was...bizarre. Had Homura seen this? Were all, or the majority of, the blog's visitors magical girls?

Red Lotus' profile page didn't provide much in the way of answer.

"Birthday: 3/11 (Pisces)

Bloodtype: O-

Occupation: Secret

Interests: Music, Flowers, Fashion, Proper manners"

It might be a long shot, but Madoka saw it as a viable lead, so she clicked "contact" to bring up Red Lotus' e-mail address. It was sort of awkward writing to a stranger, especially about a serious matter like this, but Madoka tried her best, politely hurrying toward her main objective.

"Red Lotus-san,

Are you a magical girl? You seem very experienced. Soon Walpurgis Night will come to the city where I live. I haven't made a contract, but I know a girl who has. She says there's nothing to be done but for her to fight this witch all by herself (there are no other magical girls left in our town). What can I do to help her other than becoming a magical girl myself? Can you help me get in touch with other magical girls in the area who could help us? I'm sorry to trouble you, but I really need some advice. Please help.

-M."

She sat back and sighed. She was simultaneously excited for and anxious over the possible answers she imagined receiving. How long should she expect to have to wait for a reply? She couldn't just sit here starring at the scene all afternoon. She pushed her chair away from the desk and rose to pick up her homework. She was going to believe her world as she knew it wouldn't end in just a few days- that meant there were math problems that required her immediate attention.

Madoka was just beginning to disappear into her math work when a soft chiming sound caught her attention. A message! From "Red Lotus?" She sucked in a single nervous breath and and rushed back to the computer.

"Dear M-chan,

Yes, I have made a contract. I suppose you could say I'm a veteran. I hope I'm correct in assuming that you've written to me because you know you can't change your friend's mind about fighting. There's nothing ignoble about running away when your life is on the line- live to fight another day and all that.

I hope that you don't find it creepy that I'm asking this, but you live in Mitakihara, don't you, M-chan? I live about forty-five minutes away from there by express train. I don't know any local magical girls I could ask to help you, but if the two of us can meet in person and talk, I might be willing to volunteer myself.

If you'd rather not, feel free to ignore this message, otherwise, write me back to work out a day and time.

-Red Lotus"

Madoka was conflicted. On the one hand, her parents would never condone her making secret plans to meet a stranger (it was safest to meet in a public place with lots of people around, right?) and she understood why. She wanted to be respectful and obey them, but there was no way she could make them understand the difficult situation she was in. On the other hand, this was the only real lead she had right now and there wasn't much time to spare if she was going to do anything to help Homura.

She would have to try and think of some way to privately make it up to her parents. If Homura were able to defeat this witch, she would have plenty of time for that.

"Hello again, Red Lotus-san:

Thank you so much for writing back to me so quickly. You're sure you don't mind coming out that far? I'd like to meet you as soon as you're able."

They wrote rapidly back and forth exchanging information. Red Lotus didn't get off work until four o'clock on weekdays, but on Saturday she could come out early enough to meet Madoka after school, when her parents wouldn't find it strange for her not to rush home immediately.

They would meet at a tiny cafe attached to the train station. Red Lotus would wear a white coat and a white hat. When Madoka mentioned that her hair was pink and would be up in pigtails, Red Lotus assured her that would be more than identifying enough.

Getting all the necessary details for their meet-up sorted out by e-mail wasn't enough to completely release Madoka from her worries, but at least it put the worst of them partially on hold. After she finished her homework, she browsed more of Red Lotus' advice blog, wondering what she would look like, how she had managed to keep from being crushed by despair for (presumably, because of her age) so long, and what she might ask for from Madoka in return for her aid.

Madoka didn't let Homura know about her plans. She didn't want her to worry (she worried about enough things). And without Sayaka around, it didn't seem like there was anyone else she could even think about telling. She walked to the train station alone, looked around the cafe, and seeing no white hats in evidence, took a seat, ordered a drink to legitimize her sitting their, and began to wait.

Her glass of melon soda had just arrived. Madoka took a sip through the straw, but looked up quickly as a flash of white passed by. "Excuse me, M-chan?" asked a smiling man. He politely removed his white fedora, "May I sit here?"

"R-Red Lotus-san," she stuttered.

"Is something the matter?" he inquired. If his suit had been black, not white, and his hair actually short, not merely tightly pulled back, he would appear to be an ordinary salaryman. As it was, he looked a bit eccentric. "Oh," there was a flicker of understanding in his yellow eyes, "I'm not exactly what you expected."

"I thought you..." She didn't think it would be quite right to voice her first thought: "would be a lady," since Red Lotus might be that anyway, despite his masculine body, but what impression to voice instead?

He saved her the trouble by catching on. "I never said I was a girl," he answered delicately, "Just that I had made a contract."

Madoka sincerely hoped that no one who knew her would see her here with her contact because she couldn't imagine any way this could come off as normal or natural. Red Lotus-san was roughly double her age.

"You've never met someone who wasn't a girl about your age with one of these, have you?" he produced his Soul Gem from an inside pocket of his coat. It glowed a deep, crimson red with only a hint of shadow lurking at its bottom.

"Not anyone as old as you are either," Madoka reached out and gently touched the mysterious item. How was, she wondered, that a soul could feel so cold? There was only the smallest trace of warmth lingering on the gem from its place tucked beside Red Lotus' heart. "You must be really good at this."

"I suppose." It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. His expression was calm and pleasantly neutral. "Thank you for the compliment."

Madoka nervously closed her hands over his Soul Gem to hide it as a waitress approached to find out whether the newly arrived gentlemen would like anything. Red Lotus ordered a cup of coffee. Madoka discreetly passed the Soul Gem back to him once they were alone again, drawing back somewhat more sharply than was polite as his fingers touched her hand. She fixed her embarrassed gaze on the table.

Her new acquaintance pretended not to notice. "You can call me Kimblee."

"Kaname Madoka."

He held out his hand. She wondered if he was foreign. Between his name and his particular set of manners, it seemed possible, but his Japanese was perfectly natural (and very kind). Despite the uncomfortable feeling touching him had given her, Madoka allowed him to take her hand for the short duration of the shake. "Pleased to meet you, Kaname-san."

"...Me too, Kimblee-san."

The waitress brought his coffee and then doubled back for cream on his request. Madoka sipped her drink and fiddled with the straw until it was clear they would be left to themselves for a while. Kimblee added cream and sugar to his coffee and stirred it vigorously before taking his first sip. It was hard to tell from his even-keeled facade, but the coffee seemed to please him.

"Kimblee-san, I was wondering...how have you managed to stay...yourself...for so long?"

"It is something of an accomplishment, isn't it?" Kimblee's smile spread sharper and stronger across his face with pride. "Well, you see, Kaname-san..."

He leaned closer across the table and Madoka instinctively drew back in fear- there was something not quite right about Kimblee. Was he closer to witchhood than the color of his Soul Gem had seemed to indicate at first glance? Had she gotten herself into something dangerous she should try and back out of, or was this still a scenario she could handle? ...At least there were plenty of people around. If it wasn't a magical problem, she could expect help if trouble arose.

"...It's not hard to stave off despair when you rarely feel such emotions in the first place," he explained.

He was sick. Madoka's fear was tempered with compassion. Had he always been that way, or had many years under the strain of a witch-hunting life leeched the capacity for empathy out of him? She had asked him here to see if he could intervene in the disaster threatening the people dear to her, but now she couldn't help but wish she knew his story. "Is there anything I can do to help you, Kimblee-san?"

"Ha ha," he chuckled, "I'm perfectly happy just the way I am, Kaname-san. I think, of the two of us, you're the one with bigger fish to fry today."

She probably shouldn't have said anything, but the sympathetic words had just come leaping out of her heart and up through her lips. "...I guess you're right. So..." There wasn't much left of her drink to pretend to be interested in. Slowly, she inched her eyes back up off the table into Kimblee's. "...The magical girl in my class that I mentioned to you... She's strong, but..."

"The odds are low that anyone could defeat Walpurgis Night on their own."

"Yes," Madoka replied with a solemn nod. "Is there any chance you'll help her fight?"

"Nothing worthwhile can ever be received without giving up something else in return," Kimblee stated ominously, "But if you're willing to pay the price, I'll give Walpurgis Night my all. ...It wouldn't be bad to face a challenge again for once..."

"And...for your price, Kimblee-san?"

"When you make a contract with Kyubey, he takes your soul- it's a funny way to learn for certain that your soul exists, isn't it? Well, I'm not interested in anything that grandiose. All I want is-"


End file.
